Interview with E.H. Lupton, author of The Joy of Fishes

Interview with E.H. Lupton, author of The Joy of Fishes

E.H. Lupton lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and various pets. In her spare time, she pursues a number of hobbies including running, baking, making things up, and taking naps.

Her novella, The Joy of Fishes, was published by Battered Suitcase Press in December of 2013.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I was about twelve or thirteen and having an argument with my father about a TV show we both liked. I didn’t like the direction it was going in. My father challenged me to write my own version. I haven’t stopped since.

Why do you write?

I feel like I have stories to tell. Also, I don’t have a TV, and if I run too much my joints get angry, so I have to have a “sitting down” hobby.

Is being a writer anything like you imagined it would be?

No. When I was young I thought all writers just wrote full time. Also, I’m guessing I thought writing was easy. In fact I still want to believe that, because I am continually surprised by how difficult writing is—I keep hoping I’ll come around a bend in the road and suddenly find everything is a cinch.

What do you think makes a good story?

It has to have compelling characters and a good plot. Artistry of writing is nice, and if the story fails on plot, sometimes artistry can get you pretty far (I mean, look at Ulysses). But if it fails on characters, I don’t care about the rest.

What's your favorite genre to read?

Probably mysteries. I read a lot of genres, because I’m always reading things that people recommend or that I find somewhere, but left to my own devices I look for a mystery novel. I’m especially fond of hardboiled detective novels.

Who is your favorite author or poet?

This is a hard question. Raymond Chandler is up there. Salman Rushdie. James Joyce. Zora Neale Hurston. Thomas Pynchon, especially his more recent stuff, like Inherent Vice. I’m probably leaving out a lot of worthy names here, but I think if you’ve read any of these writers you might begin to detect a trend: I like incredibly well-written works with interesting characters and (in most cases) dense, complex plots that are funny and heart-wrenching by turns.

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer?

Probably the biggest influence was James Joyce’s Ulysses. I learned from it that books don’t have to stick to a single topic; you can put all of life into them. This book, more specifically, was influenced also by Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, Milan Kundera’s The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, and by Wandering on the Way, a collection of Daoist stories translated by Victor Mair.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person?

I started down the path to study philosophy when I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig. I think a lot of my work is deeply rooted in philosophy in general, though it’s not always as apparent as it is with The Joy of Fishes. As an undergraduate, I studied philosophy and Chinese, which led to me taking the class in Daoism that inspired TJoF.

More prosaically, my mom used to read me Kipling’s The Just-So Stories and a lot of the works of James Thurber, and I think both of those had a big influence on me.

Where/how do you find the most inspiration?

When I’m lucky (that is, when I’m not recovering from an injury), I do a lot of thinking when I’m out running. When I’m not able to run, driving or biking can have a similar effect. (I live in Wisconsin, so the window for biking is pretty small.)

What does your family think of your writing?

I think they’re proud. Maybe a bit surprised that this is what I do, but proud.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

While I was finishing my thesis recently, I would get up around 5:30 and write until 7ish (sometimes pausing earlier or later depending on whether the puppy needed to go out). After I took the dogs out, I put the thesis away and went to the gym for an hour. Then I’d be ready to go to my day job. I find it easiest to get things done in the morning when there are fewer distractions. I’m sleeping in a little later now though.

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals?

I really like to write off the computer—I write longhand quite a bit, and when I have the opportunity, I like to write on my grandmother’s old typewriter. It is about fifty years old and probably weighs twenty or thirty pounds. I really like the feeling of connecting with the keys. Also, I like being away from the Internet.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

The Internet. Especially when things get difficult, I have a hard time focusing. Also, I know that in the course of writing a first draft, there are going to be boring bits that will have to be cut out later. But I hate writing them down. I have to force myself to press forward.

What are your current projects?

I have a short story I’m rewriting, and a novel I’m doing the first draft of. There are probably a few other things, too. I pick stories up and put them down all the time.

What are you planning for future projects?

I don’t really know. Someday I’d like to do a graphic novel, if I ever meet an artist with whom I could work. But I don’t always know what I’m going to do ahead of time. I squirrel away little bits of information for the future all the time, but I don’t usually have a plan of what I’m going to do with them.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

No. I know enough to know that I know nothing.

Where else can we find your work?

I have a blog at pretensesoup.com where you can find all of (or a lot of) my comic “Em ơi!,” which chronicles my various adventures in a somewhat piecemeal and occasionally imaginary fashion. I’ve been drawing it since 2008ish, and have amassed nearly four hundred comics at this point, making it probably my longest-running work. I have had a story published in issue 6 of Greatest Uncommon Denominator/GUD (“Salad Days,” which can be found here: http://www.gudmagazine.com/vault/6/Salad+Days). And I have had a story published in issue 5 of a magazine called Wilde Oats, but it appears to have been archived and isn’t on their website right now (looks like it will be in the future though).

E.H. Lupton's The Joy of Fishes is available for immediate download from our website or your favorite ebook retailer. 

Mara Daniels is a physicist doing cutting-edge research into the nature of reality at the University of Chicago. She’s an astronomer. She’s an amateur student of Chinese philosophy. And she’s still recovering from last summer’s car crash that killed Benjamin Zhu, her fiancé. It’s a slow process; she can walk without a cane now, but she still suffers from migraines, nightmares, and seeing Zhu’s ghost everywhere she goes. The novella The Joy of Fishes follows her through the day on which these threads begin to unravel.

Interview with Nancy Moore, author of The Vicar of Wrynbury

Interview with Nancy Moore, author of The Vicar of Wrynbury

Nancy Moore is originally from Northeastern Missouri and graduated from Truman State University with a degree in mass communication. She's worked in publishing, marketing, journalism, and in the non-profit field. She's dabbled with writing since childhood, winning a few awards for creative writing in her youth. It wasn't until later in life that her hobby developed into a serious pursuit. She is an unabashed Anglophile who lovesHarry Potter, Doctor Who, and Sherlock as well as any historical drama series to come out of the U.K. Nancy loves reading historical dramas, horror, biography, and non-fiction historical. She currently lives in St. Louis with "the greatest guy ever," her cat, and dog.

Her debut historical romance, The Vicar of Wrynbury, is set in the late Edwardian era, and was published by Vagabondage Romance in May of 2014. 

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? 

I dabbled even before I could really write very well. I would draw pictures and make storybooks when I was really little. I did various stories as I grew. In high school, I got third place in a creative writing competition through a university and it really advanced my daydreams of writing as a profession.

Why do you write? 

Because I have movies playing in my head. There are people in there, living stories and doing these great scenes that need to get out and on to paper. I’ve found that escaping into those story lands has been a great fantasy life for me. I can get away from real life, but also be creating something tangible too.

What do you think makes a good story? 

A good story is one that you never want to end and characters that you want to have contact with forever. My favorite stories are ones I go back and visit, especially in times of stress or unhappiness, and they comfort and soothe me like an old friend or warm, snuggly blanket.

What's your favorite genre to read? 

I love a good ghost story! A novel about a creepy house and mysterious haunting is such a treat that is rather hard to find. I also love biographies of the golden age of Hollywood stars. Usually their lives are very different than what was projected on screen or perpetuated by the big studios of the day.  

Who is your favorite author or poet? 

I discovered Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind when I was in junior high and it is still my favorite. Others include: Sarah Waters, Martha Grimes, Christopher Moore, and Audrey Niffenegger.

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer? 

Sarah Waters's Affinity influenced me a lot for its pacing and style. The delicate mix of formal construction and sensuous context was really well crafted. I remember going through the last pages and feeling like I was on the fast downhill of a roller coaster.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person? 

In college I had to read The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Kundera and was just amazed at how someone had put down in words a lot of the things I was struggling to understand as a young adult.

Where/how do you find the most inspiration? 

I’ve got a vivid imagination that has a bizarre trigger. A movie or a picture can start the ball rolling for me and begin a whole story arc.

What does your family think of your writing? 

My mother is my biggest cheerleader. She is an avid reader, and when I nervously let her read the first draft of my story she said to me, “This is as good as any book I’ve ever read. And I’ve read a LOT of books!”

What is your work schedule like when you're writing? 

Very unstructured. My first draft of my novel took a year and that was with working on it most days. But, I run hot and cold about writing. I’ll work on it for several days then not touch it for a week or a month or more. I won’t say that this is the best way to write, it’s just how it has worked for me in trying to make it a part of my busy life.  

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals? 

When I’m stuck I walk away. If I start cooking or ironing or doing anything that allows my mind to wander, I can usually work out a solution. 

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I’ve realized creativity is like a cat. It can’t be summoned on demand. You just have to leave the door open and hope it wanders in on its own.

What is unique about the Edwardian and WWI era that made you place this story at that time? 

I’ve always said I was born too late. The era of 1910-1930 is my favorite in many ways. There were many changes going on very quickly, especially for women. The world was progressing at an amazing pace. A lot of very old-fashioned notions and practices fell to the wayside as the world came into the twentieth century. Yet there is still this aura of romance, class, and formality. 

In what ways are the character of Anne and you alike? 

Anne is a lot like me, and I don’t know if anyone would believe me when I say that I’d never written a female character like that before. We both have had lives that didn’t turn out how we had expected and felt the need to nurture and cultivate positive relationships, not always with the best results. We both, also, went through changes when forced to be out on our own and learn from our struggles, which only made us stronger. The end of the novel reflected a lot of the change in my own life and my evolving views of love, romance, and lasting relationships.

What are your current projects?  

I have started a modern day ghost story and would like to see how I am able to do with this genre. 

What are you planning for future projects? 

I have another turn of the century drama-romance started but sitting on the shelf. It would be a tale taking place in St. Louis at the turn of the century and centering around another woman going through some difficult life changes that affect her views on the people around her and herself.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

It takes nothing to put it on paper. Write like no one will ever see it. Write for yourself and you may end up creating something everyone appreciates.

Nancy's debut historical romance, The Vicar of Wrynbury, is set in the late Edwardian era, and was published by Vagabondage Romance in May of 2014, and is available in print and ebook from our website or from your favorite online bookstore. 

As the Edwardian era fades into WWI, Cyril Dunstan, a man with a mysterious past, accepts the post as vicar in a small country town of Wrynbury. His benefactor and only ally, Anne Gladwyn, repeatedly attempts to assist the reticent and surly vicar with the task of reviving the dilapidated village church against all odds. Anne hopes to find some purpose to her dull and unsatisfying life as well as solve the mystery of the vicar’s history and demeanor. Their journals and accounts show the tenuous beginnings of a partnership that turns into a friendship then blossoms into a passionate emotional tie that could destroy all they have worked for. In a time when religious and social constructs would never allow the two to satisfy their desires, they must decide what to sacrifice in order to have happiness during the tumultuous early days of the 20th Century.

Interview with Tim Dankanich, author of Old Hag Syndrome

Interview with Tim Dankanich, author of Old Hag Syndrome

Tim Dankanich was born within the state of Pennsylvania, a state which happens to be (in his

opinion) the insane little sister of historical Transylvania. Without any formal training or education, he is a completely self-taught author, screenwriter, and artisan with a pathological obsession toward the dark, frightening, unexplained realms of the unknown. You can visit him online at www.timdankanich.brushd.com

His creepy horror thriller, Old Hag Syndrome, is soon to hit the big screen and was published by imprint Dark Alley Press in September 2013.

What was your inspiration for Old Hag Syndrome?

The Old Hag Syndrome was inspired by the very real and terrifying phenomenon experienced by more than half of the world's population, myself included. The Old Hag Syndrome is a mysterious and horrifying sleep disorder documented throughout almost every ancient culture and known today by its modern medical term as sleep paralysis. For this story I was first inspired to create my own explanations for this widespread and unexplained nightmare that cannot be fully rationalized by psychology, culture or medical science. Then I tried to create characters who were not only likable but worth caring about. Consequently I led these poor people through every insane and disturbing horror my mind could imagine.

Twins and the psychic connection some seem to have is critical to your novel?

“Critical” is a very interesting word choice to use in that question. That particular adjective contains different meanings, yet looks exactly the same. Much like identical twins themselves, which are statically the only sets of twins to sometimes share acute psychic abilities between each other. But I honestly think the only critical aspect of such a connection would be that the novel itself would have looked very differently had I not mentally given birth to identical twins as important characters, when I first started to compose the skeletal structure of the story itself.

Are you a twin? If so do you have this connection with your twin? Could you give us some examples?

Sadly no, I do not have a psychic twin. It’s rather depressing to think of how quickly and efficiently the writing process would be if I had such a twin finishing my thoughts and typing them out for me while I had other things to do.

If not, where does your fascination with twins and this connection come from?

Honestly, I’m not exactly sure where my fascination with biological nonconformity and the entire spectrum of the paranormal originates from. I wish I knew. Although I do remember when I was younger (about the age of 9) a friend’s mother took her and I to see a psychic, who only told me very vague and incomplete thoughts during my reading. After my friend and her mother had their readings and we all left, her mother told me that the psychic refunded the money she had paid for my reading. When she asked why, the psychic told her that I had frightened the poor fortuneteller because no matter how hard they tried, I could not be read psychically. Or it could have something to do with being born five days after Halloween.

The story mentions many different sleep disorders. Is this something you’ve experienced yourself? If not, what drew you to delve into this topic?

I think the basic biological need for sleep has always disturbed me in some way. Not only do we spend more than half our entire lives asleep, but modern science is still searching for the exact reason behind why we as a species need to sleep and dream in the first place, and why it’s a necessity in order for us to stay alive. I myself have always been nocturnal by nature, as well as being able to stay awake for several days at a time. I think I may have experienced almost every sleep disorder at least once or twice in my life, including the Old Hag Syndrome. But it wasn’t until a friend of mine confessed to suffering through Hag Attacks on an almost nightly basis that this phenomenon first became the larval stage of a nightmare that I set out to explore artistically. It was an attempt to better understand exactly what I had experienced, and why so many others throughout human history were also afraid of falling asleep in fear of it happening again. The most frightening aspect of this experience is the widespread, dramatic, realistic, and bizarre elements of this phenomenon that cannot be fully explained as being nothing more than a sleep disorder.

What sort of research did you do for this book?

At the risk of sounding pretentious, I honestly did extensive research online, at libraries, in bookstores as well as contacting a university professor said to be an expert on the subject, (but he never wrote me back). However I think the most interesting and insightful research I did was when friends, strangers, or second hand acquaintances would ask me what I was writing about. Once I told them about the Old Hag Syndrome, I was shocked to learn just how many people I knew or happened to meet that had experienced it firsthand. Some of which never even knew there was a term used for what had happened to them. Some of those people had never even told anyone about their encounters before, or were even aware that other people have had the same thing happen to them.

Is there any part of you in Annette?

I think Annette is comprised of a lot of people I used to know, as well as me. In the most compassionately simplistic terms, Annette Chambers is a beautiful mess. Despite everything she’s ever been through she retains her self-taught independence. She prides herself on never asking for anyone’s help. She is careful with the little money she has managed to save. But she still eats poorly, dresses poorly, and cares very little about what people think of her. She understands that exterior beauty and inner strength are nothing more than psychological projections upon strangers. She knows the power of a single action, and the influence of a nice smile. She has also helped more people than she knows by being able to distinguish between the two. One thing Annette perfected during her abandoned education in psychology was how to compartmentalize all her flawed human emotions. She is able to place all of her fear, anxiety and sadness into large formaldehyde filled jars within her mind and seal them shut in order to function properly and efficiently as a person. She places these jars in her psychological basement storage facility, amongst all of her other deformed, well preserved, and euthanized emotions. She already knows that storing so many cognitive containers behind walls of repression is in itself a dangerously detrimental defense mechanism, which could potentially possess severe and long lasting consequences. But she is also fully prepared to one day go through every imaginary jar from the past and thoroughly dissect and study every saved specimen, in order to one day better understand herself and the f**ked up world around her.

What was the toughest part of this story to write?

As an avid horror fan I would have to say the hardest part was trying to frighten myself as I wrote. I would rewrite and rewrite rewrites until what I wrote scared me enough to never write it again.

What is it about Annette that you think will draw readers to her?

I suspect readers will be drawn to the challenges which test the character and resolve of Annette that happen to be a series of inescapable psychological horrors. I think the readers may establish immediate sympathy for Annette through her relatable and understandable struggle of just barely scraping by in life, while walking that thin line between things going from success to failure at any given moment. But no matter how bad they think her life seems, they could never even imagine the nightmare that awaits her at the bottom of the downward spiral of being forced to not only question the foundation of reality but also surpass the boundaries beyond all known fear and insanity. 

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

The realization was a very slow process starting at a very young age after I first started drawing and before having the ability to read. It was through comic books that I first noticed the exquisite craft of connecting written text with visual art to create a captivating story. Prior to being old enough to even spell simple words correctly, I was illustrating and writing the stories for my own childish comic books. I remember it frustrated me to the point of tears that I couldn’t draw what I saw clearly in my imagination, so I would just rip up the paper and start all over again. This process led me to focus more on practicing and perfecting my visual art throughout high school. I would always have a notebook on hand to write down ideas, stories, or any interesting conversations I had that day. I soon noticed I was subconsciously adding more and more words, random text and cryptic storytelling into my artwork. That was around the time when I alternated my complete attention from a canvas and paintbrush to a notebook and pen.

Why do you write?

I write as a personal artistic challenge, as an attempt to fine tune, document, and expand upon my overactive imagination. With my writing I aspire to show and share everything I see in my mind by using only words. I write because I came to the conclusion that every form of art contains its own deadline for someone to formulate their own negative or positive opinion of it. With visual art, personal opinions are immediate. You like what you see, or you don’t. Music on the other hand takes a little more time to listen closely and decide how it makes you feel. But reading a book from cover to cover, that takes time. That is a commitment. But sometimes you gain more from art than just an opinion of it.

Is being a writer/poet anything like you imagined it would be?

Honestly, I’m at a loss for words. *insert comedic drum roll here*

What do you think makes a good story?

Well established believability, especially towards the unbelievable aspects of the story, and a mutual trust between the author and the reader.

What's your favorite genre to read?

I love horror, including all of its varied subgenres, especially non-fiction books on the paranormal, supernatural, and the unexplained. 

Who is your favorite author or poet?

I respect and admire so many authors, each to their own credit. However my top three would be: William S. Burroughs, H.P. Lovecraft, and Hunter S. Thompson. As for pure poetry, nothing beats a case of beer and something by Bukowski.

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer?

Stalking Is a Contact Sport, by (a brilliant bastard and friend) Fred Seton. As well as the author’s entire unpublished works.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person?

The Tell-Tale Heart, by Edgar Allen Poe. This was read to me and my fellow first-grade classmates by a sweet old librarian during story time. It all spiraled downward from there.

Where/how do you find the most inspiration?

I find the most inspiration from imperfections, mistakes, and the unknown, easily found both in myself and the world around me.

What does your family think of your writing?

I assume they think the same thing as they thought about my visual art; if I’m not getting paid every time I do it, it’s not a job.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

…I’ll answer that question as soon as I have or find the time.

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals?

Not that I’m consciously aware of…

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

The middle and endings are always a challenge. Starting anything is easy.

What are your current projects?

I’m currently composing several horror movie spec screenplays, while continuing to raise and be responsible for an abandoned baby squirrel that I rescued from the hands of death earlier this summer, a squirrel which is now a happy and healthy blur of chaos and destruction.

What are you planning for future projects?

I really hate to plan anything too far ahead so I’ll just cryptically say, “It’s a surprise.”

Do you have any advice for other writers?

My only advice is; adopt a monkey. Or if you live in a place where monkeys are readily available, invite one to stay inside your home… because if you are able to continue writing while a temperamental primate screams and destroys your house, you will obtain discipline and focus. A monkey will also teach you the proper way to handle discouragement and rejection by learning to wipe it all away and move on. Just like all the feces the monkey will throw at you… and yes, you will be repeatedly hit with monkey excrement… monkey excrement that smells of humiliation and shame… just wipe it away, and move on.

Where else can we find your work?

Some of my artwork and prose can be found in Migraine Expressions, a beautiful book of powerful migraine poetry, prose, art, and photography promoting awareness and understanding of migraine and the need for further research, understanding, and treatments.

That and I sometimes vandalize roadside billboards with profound anti-consumerism truths. Or you may find one of my notebooks filled with strange drawings and written madness that I am compelled to purposely loose in random public places whenever I travel. www.timdankanich.brushd.com

Tim's chilling supernatural novel, Old Hag Syndrome can be purchased from our website or from your favorite online bookstore in print or ebook format.

           

For the last twenty years, Annette Chambers has been haunted by the same recurring nightmare of her beloved twin sister’s death.

When a cryptic stranger warns Annette that she is in danger of being murdered -- just like her sister -- by an ancient evil that dwells between dreams and reality, Annette initially dismisses the idea until she is attacked in her sleep by an unseen entity.

Annette soon learns what she experienced is known throughout history as Old Hag Syndrome, a horrifying affliction that causes victims to awake, paralyzed, unable to scream while they are tormented by hallucinations.

Soon Annette realizes the Old Hag she faces is real and has been killing off her friends and family. Her nightmare becomes a frightening reality where the only hope of survival lies somewhere between death and madness.

New Releases for 2014: New Edwardian Historical Romance Novel from Debut Author, Nancy Moore

New Edwardian Historical Romance Novel from Debut Author, Nancy Moore

Vagabondage Romance launches historical romance novel, THE VICAR OF WRYNBURY, by debut author Nancy Moore. The book explores the lives of Ann Gladwyn and Cyril Dunstan as old world propriety and formality slips away under the stresses of The Great War in turn of the century England.

As the Edwardian era fades into WWI, Cyril Dunstan, a man with a mysterious past, accepts the post as vicar in a small country town of Wrynbury. His benefactor and only ally, Anne Gladwyn, repeatedly attempts to assist the reticent and surly vicar with the task of reviving the dilapidated village church against all odds. Anne hopes to find some purpose to her dull and unsatisfying life as well as solve the mystery of the vicar’s history and demeanor. Their journals and accounts show the tenuous beginnings of a partnership that turns into a friendship then blossoms into a passionate emotional tie that could destroy all they have worked for. In a time when religious and social constructs would never allow the two to satisfy their desires, they must decide what to sacrifice in order to have happiness during the tumultuous early days of the 20^th Century.

"Fans of the Downton Abbey television and other period pieces and costume dramas will fall in love with the tumultuous drama as Ann and Dunstan learn to navigate the changing values of the new century," says managing editor, Fawn Neun. "Ann is the epitome of the new woman, headstrong and passionate, and she has her hands full convincing the staid vicar, Cyril Dunstan, to lead with his heart.

"Many readers romanticize the Victorian and Edwardian era as a time of proper etiquette, prim manors, and a focus on beauty and elegance," Ms. Neun continues. "Behind these stoic facades and social rituals were men and women who wanted love and affection and relationships were they could feel fulfilled both in and out of the bedroom. Ms. Moore's novel bravely and honestly addresses how two people face these challenges and what they ultimately find they need to sacrifice."

Nancy Moore graduated from Truman State University, and has worked in publishing, marketing, journalism, and in the non-profit field. She is an unabashed Anglophile who loves Harry Potter, Doctor Who, and Sherlock as well as any historical drama series to come out of the U.K. She currently lives in St. Louis with "the greatest guy ever," her cat, and dog.

For a sneak preview of this fresh new historical romance novel, visit our website. http://www.vagabondagepress.com/bookpreviews/thevicarofwrynbury.html

THE VICAR OF WRYNBURY is available from all major online bookstores in both US Trade Paperback and e-Book format, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, and OmniLit, as well as on the Vagabondage Press website at http://www.vagabondagepress.com

An Interview with Stephanie Minns, author of The Tale of Storm Raven

An Interview with Stephanie Minns, author of The Tale of Storm Raven

Steph Minns has been a keen reader, writer, and artist since childhood. Her professional career has predominantly been in publishing, website, and print design, including positions as publications manager and commissioning editor. She has also worked as a freelance illustrator for Talking Stick and Pentacle magazine. You can visit her online at http://stephminns.weebly.com.

Her spooky short, The Tale of Storm Raven, was published by imprint Dark Alley Press in April 2014.

What was the inspiration for The Tale of Storm Raven?

Funnily enough, a comment from my boss. I’d been responding to enquiry emails at work and remarked on yet another marketing email from a wig company in China (to the Forestry Commission in England?) My manager remarked on people buying wigs made from real human hair and how creepy it would be to have someone elses’ hair on your head. That set off the idea of a haunted wig that comes with ghost attached, as old objects are often claimed to do by paranormal researchers.

What draws you to horror?

The fact that it takes you completely out of normal everyday mundane existence. You can lose yourself in a dark, creepy tale and forget your worries for a while.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always written stories, even as a child, although they were mostly about ponies until the age of ten. Then I progressed to ghosts and things lurking in forests.

Why do you write?

I love reading and always have stories in my head waiting to pop out, maybe inspired by a chance comment overheard or a street scene where I borrow a scenario or character I’ve observed and think that would make a good story.

Is being a writer anything like you imagined it would be?

I do it for the love of it. I don’t think I’ve ever imagined being a writer as such, but to be able to make a reasonable living from something you enjoy doing anyway is everybody’s dream I guess.

What do you think makes a good story?

Credible characters and a plot that keeps you guessing and keeps you wanting to turn the page. I like unusual and off beat characters who maybe don’t always fit comfortably in the world, and have a different take on life. A surprise ending that gets the reader thinking also helps.

What's your favorite genre to read?

Horror, mystery/crime or dark fantasy at the moment. I’m not a chick-lit type of girl. My first (only) self published novel though was a historical fiction set in the 18^th century and based around real history, smuggling specifically, in the West Country where I live.

Who is your favorite author or poet?

Lots but Poppy Z. Brite and Neil Gaiman come to mind.

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer?

Best of horror collections I guess, and Neil Gaiman plus Stephen King’s collections. I grew up on a diet of 2000 AD comics with characters such as Slaine and Judge Dredd.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person?

As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann is a book that’s still on my shelf and I’ve read it three times. I’ve always liked Oscar Wilde’s shorts too such as The Portrait of Dorian Gray, creepy in a subtle way.

Where/how do you find the most inspiration?

People and things I see around me mostly. I’ve just written a short humorous story for a competition inspired by a recent trip to the eye hospital and what happened on the bus, the characters in the waiting room for example. I watch the crime channels too on TV and sometimes ideas come from real life, the dark, terrible things people do to each other.

What does your family think of your writing?

They enjoy reading my efforts (so they say)! My parents were always great readers and encouraged a love of books.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

I work part time in an administration post but have the mornings free so make myself sit down most mornings for a couple of hours, even if I don’t feel very inspired. I’ve got a few notebooks with scribbled ideas and half-formed stories in to trawl through when I’m feeling a bit lost for some ideas.

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals?

Lots of cups of tea.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

Trying not to be too wordy with short stories. They tend to lapse into long short stories if I’m not careful.

What are your current projects?

I’m working on a series of dark fantasy short stories but have a novel idea drafted ready to start.

What are you planning for future projects?

To finish the novel and try and get that published.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I belong to a small Writers Group where I live in Bristol which has proven invaluable for feedback as we critique each others’ work, helping each other with stuff like plots and endings that may not work.

Where else can we find your work?

I have a short story called The Watcher From The Woods on UK e-publisher AlfieDog’s website and my own website www.stephminns.weebly.com has a couple of freebie reads on it.

Steph's horror short, The Tale of Storm Raven can be downloaded from our website or purchased at your favorite ebook retailer.

Nick, a London musician and bookstore manager, falls for a Goth beauty he meets online.  However, Suzy has a problem. No one believes a ghost is gradually taking over Suzy’s life, until Nick and his friend Zac start to investigate. But is it too late though for Suzy, who is gradually spiraling into a sordid decline?

Author Insides - Kevin R. Doyle

Kevin R. Doyle is a native Midwesterner. For the last sixteen years, he has worked as a teacher at the high school and community college level. He currently teaches high school English and speech at a rural school in Missouri.

Born and raised in Wichita, Kansas, he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wichita State University. He worked his way through college in a candy store, about the same time he began attempting to write short stories. He had his first story published way back in the late eighties in a small Southern publication called Starsong.

Ten years ago, he moved to Columbia, Missouri, only intending to be there for about four years before moving on. He had no idea how much he would fall in love with the area. During the summers, though, he gets as far away as he can, usually to somewhere along the Gulf Coast.

His novella, One Helluva Gig, is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I first started dabbling with it when I was around nineteen years old. I’d always enjoyed reading, but as a kid hadn’t really thought much about writing. I do remember one time when I was about eleven and I first read "The Star" by Arthur C. Clarke. When I got to the end of that extremely short story, I thought at the time how cool it would be to be able to create something with such impact.

Why do you write?
I really don’t have a clear answer for that. It sounds kind of corny to say "because it’s what I do," but that comes close to being the truth. It’s simply something that’s been a part of me for a long time, and as of now I don’t see it going away any time soon.

Is being a writer anything like you imagined it would be?
Heck, no. When I first started this, in my late teens and early twenties, I naturally figured that at some point, say around twenty-five, I’d be famous and rich. It too a couple of years to realize that the fantasy that most people have comes along very rarely in the real world. When I was around twenty-nine, I pretty much gave up on that kind of dream and began to look around for a real career. A few years later, I accidentally ended up in teaching and figured that the best I’d ever do, as was true for several years, was managing to publish one or two short stories a year.

What was the inspiration for Helluva Gig?
It’s kind of hard to believe, but the basic idea came to me while I was watching a late night rerun of an old Married with Children episode. It was one of the earlier ones, back when it was at least partially realistic, and involved Peggy finding a sweat stain shaped like Elvis on one of Al’s shirts. That got me to thinking about Elvis impersonators, and the way people try to hold on to their celebrity icons even after they pass, and the story came from there.

Have you ever worked for a tabloid paper?
No. The closest I’ve come was a couple of years serving as the advisor to a student newspaper at a small community college. And I didn’t do a very good job of that.

If you were to write a tabloid story, what would it be about?
UFO’s because it’s so easy to get people to believe in them.

What sort of music are you into?
Mainly soft rock, what used to be called adult contemporary, and oldies, from the sixties and seventies. I’m also a big fan of a syndicated radio program called Hearts of Space.

Which celebrity would you like to see impersonate him/herself?
That’s a tough one. I would say, going back to the classic TV of the seventies, either Carroll O’Connor or Henry Winkler, mainly because they played such broadly-defined characters.

What musician would you most like to interview?
Without a doubt, the main crush of my youth: Olivia Newton John.

What do you think makes a good story?
If I knew that, I’d probably be able to produce more of them. For one, things have to be as realistic as possible. The various elements of a story should, even in something fantastic, hew as closely as possible to reality. In other words, the characters have to act and speak the way that people act and speak. One of the biggest things that turns me off from a story is when the dialogue isn’t realistic. If characters aren’t speaking the way people really speak, I can’t finish the story.

And if you’re doing horror, as most of my shorter work is, for Heaven’s sake don’t show us everything. Give us something to imagine and figure out.

What's your favorite genre to read?
It depends on the format. For short stories, I prefer horror or dark fantasy. For novels, I’m more into suspense. I still read a lot of the old paperback men’s adventure series that I collected as a kid, and now and then I go on an Edgar Rice Burroughs tear for a few years, but I can’t really tolerate any of his imitators. And really stretching it back some, I’m still trying to add to my collection of the old Doc Savage paperbacks.

Who is your favorite author?
If I had to pick one single favorite, and it would be tough, I’d probably go with Don Pendleton. When I was younger, I couldn’t get enough of his Executioner books, but when he stopped writing them I kind of lost interest.

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer?
"The Star" for sure. That’s an almost perfect example of the precisely-written short story. Because most of what I do is in the short story field, anyone who can write a subtle, get-under-your-skin tale ranks right up there for me.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person?
Although it’s not what people consider "great literature," I’d have to go back to Pendleton’s early Executioner books, up to number thirty-nine when new writers took them over. As a young teenager, and a rather weakly, awkward one at that, Pendleton’s books provided basic lessons about how a man’s supposed to act, not in physical terms but morally and intellectually. Then again, for anyone at all interested in language, Leslie Charteris’s Saint stories and books test how many pages you can get through without grabbing a dictionary.

Where/how do you find the most inspiration?
Basically just all around. It took me a while to develop the knack, but if you go through the day with eyes and ears wide open, you can find inspiration anywhere. As just two examples, driving through Iowa several years back I saw an old wall, the last remnant of a barn, standing in a field. That inspired my short story, "Visage," which got me my first Featured Story slot in a magazine (The Edge: Tales of Suspense). One time I stumbled upon this old, quaint inn in a coastal town in Texas, which eventually led to a piece called "The Dead Spot." So, lame as it sounds, inspiration is everywhere. You’ve just got to open yourself up to it.

What does your family think of your writing?
It’s better now. Way back when, the idea was met with about equal shades of disgruntlement and skepticism. Nowadays, possibly because I’m actually making some progress, things have become more accepted. The biggest problem I’ve had over the years is the constant comments about my writing "Stephen King stuff" when I’ve never done anything even remotely along his line.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
It depends on the time of the year. During the school year I have a full-time job at a high school and usually teach college courses at night. So basically, I just try to do a page or two a day, but sometimes don’t even get that much done. If I have a slow weekend in terms of grading or lesson prep, I may be able to crank out eight or ten pages. But when school’s in session, it’s basically whenever I get a few free moments.

During the summer, I have a much more regular schedule, usually working in the afternoon or early evening. This last summer, with the severe drought and heat, I would usually get up early, do an hour of so of walking or hiking and close to an hour in the swimming pool, then end up in front of the computer by nine thirty or so, refreshed and energized. Some days, if I focused enough, I could sometimes get a good ten pages done. Unfortunately, that whole time I was in the revision stage of my current project, so it wasn’t really that exciting.

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals?
Not really. I basically just sit down when I can and go to it.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Continuity. Lately, I’ve been working on longer works, primarily novels, and I find it kind of difficult to keep timelines straight. I’m not a very organized person, you should see my apartment or my desk at work, and I tend to just start typing and gush stuff out. Then I have to go back and spend a lot of time making sure that dates, ages and time spans all match up. For example, in "One Helluva Gig" the project editor caught that at one place I have a character’s age about ten years off from what it was in the rest of the story. I’m trying to get better at this, trying to train myself to work off outlines and notes, but it’s not in my nature so I’m finding it rather difficult.

What are your current projects?
I’ve been spending most of this year trying to hammer out a suspense novel that involves political advertising and a serial killer. I’m currently about a third of the way through what I hope to be the final draft, and hope to have it done by the end of December.

I also have an idea bouncing around in my head for a short horror piece concerning the drought that the Midwest has gone through this year and hope to have a few days soon to pound out at least the first draft of that. And a few weeks ago, while driving along the Mississippi River, again heavily impacted by the drought this summer, I had a great title pop into my head. I think it will work for a new novelette, but I don’t have even the beginning of the story, just what I consider an awesome title.

What are you planning for future projects?
I’ve had a dearth of short stories lately, mainly because so many have been published in the last year or so (a rare event to be sure) and really need to get a handful of new ones generated. And if "Helluva Gig" does well, I’d like to tackle a few new novelettes. I have some notes generated for a novelette, or novella I’m not quite sure which, set in Hollywood of the late thirties and concerning a B-list actor who seemingly returns from the dead.

Do you have any advice for other writers?
In the most general terms, the oldest cliché still holds true. Don’t plan on doing this for a living. My first short story was published over twenty years ago, and if I had to live off my writing I’d be hungry and homeless within a week. Often acquaintances will say to me "well, yeah. But what about (insert name of rich and famous author)." At which point I smile and ask them to name a second one, which they usually can’t. Mainly because rich and famous authors are just too freakin’ rare. I had two short stories out in September, one an original and one a reprint, and between the two of them I could possibly afford to treat myself to a decent dinner. But just myself. I couldn’t bring a date along.

When it comes to short stories, which is still my main area of interest, I’d have to say not to ignore the "for-the-love" markets. Just because they don’t pay (as the majority of short fiction markets don’t), doesn’t mean that they don’t have standards. Over the years, I got tons of help and advice, plus more rejections than I could keep track of, from editors of markets, both print and online, that didn’t pay anything to publish my stories. And in the last few years several of those pieces that originally appeared "for-the-love" have been accepted and reprinted by semi-professional mags. I still haven’t made a lot off them, but I have made some, hence allowing me to eat out from time to time.

Where else can we find your work?
Because I’ve been so tied up with the current mystery novel, 2012 has been a rather soft year in terms of new publications. At least, compared to the two previous years when things really began popping. Compared to most of the time I’ve been involved in this, 2012 has been phenomenal.

Currently, I’ve got what I think is a rather neat story recently released by Allegory. It’s called "Eighty Feet Deep" and can be found through December at www.allegoryezine.com. After that, it will be in their archives. Also this fall, what I personally consider to be one of my most unsettling stories ever, and definitely probably the hardest I’ve ever written (mainly because I had to keep walking away from it because it was creeping me out too much) has been reprinted after being originally available online about five years ago. It’s called "The Old Dogs" and appears in the current issue of Cover of Darkness.

Also, my one and only ever attempt at poetry "Nocturnal Retribution," was reprinted in the summer issue of Illumen.

Sarah-Jane LeHoux resides in Southern Ontario with her husband, and her ever growing horde of Machiavellian cats. For more information, please visit www.sarah-janelehoux.com.

Her young adult novella, MY SANCTUARY, is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve always enjoyed creating stories. I am a natural introvert, and as a child, I’d spend hours reading and day dreaming. As I grew older, I took up a pen in place of my dolls, and would write little stories that I’d read out in class, much to the chagrin of my teachers. However, it wasn’t until I was in my mid-twenties that I began to write in earnest, and only after finishing my first novel, Thief, did I realize that I wanted to make my writing more than a hobby.

Why do you write?
I write to express everything I’m not able to express in real life. As I’ve mentioned, I’m an introvert. I have a difficult time in social situations, and keep a lot of things bottled up inside. I write as an outlet, as a way to work through various issues, both current and from my childhood. Or to be blunt, I write to shut up all the voices in my head.

What was the inspiration for My Sanctuary?
The inspiration for My Sanctuary, like most of my work, was a dream. I have no idea what that dream was now, but I remember it happened on a Saturday night. lingered from my dream was a sense of loneliness and depression, and the next morning, I began to research orphanages. I read true life accounts from a man who had been in and out of orphanages all his young life, and I felt that same sense of loneliness. I realized that I wanted to tell the story of a female orphan. It wasn’t long after I started work on My Sanctuary, that I realized it went beyond the orphanage, that it was, at its heart, a coming of age story.

What sort of research did you do for the project?
I was raised Catholic, so it seemed only natural to have the Church be the back drop of my story, considering the issues the story raised. I relied on my memories and childhood beliefs to flesh out the details. I also did a good deal of internet research on the 1950’s, the time in which the story is set, in order to make the dialogue as realistic as possible.

Do you see yourself in your work?
I don’t see myself, per say, but I do see aspects of myself. I am a survivor of childhood abuse, so I drew on that to help me create not only Dot, but the other children and even the adults as well. Each character has some piece of me in them, be it sadness or anger, hope or despair, victim or abuser.

What do you think makes a good story?
I think a good story is one that is more concerned with character development than plot. Just look at Hollywood movies as proof. All the explosions and car chases and special effects in the world don’t leave the indelible mark that a truly well-rounded, well developed character does.

What's your favorite genre to read?
Horror is my genre of choice, judging by the number of horror titles I have on my book shelf. But if I go by what books I reread until the spines break and the pages rip, it’d have to be historical fiction, particularly women’s historical fiction.

I also read a lot of non-fiction books about mythology and folklore.

Who is your favorite author or poet?
Again, it’s hard to pick a favourite. I don’t really pay much attention to who the author is when I pick out a book to read.

What books or stories have most influenced you the most as a writer?
I think it is the non-fiction I read that influences me the most as a writer. They make me want to explore different themes, and not just rehash the same old stories I grew up with in my culture. They also help me to understand universal truths, such as love and death, which helps me create realistic motivation and character arcs.

What books or stories have most influenced you as a person?
This is going to sound kind of silly. I don’t even remember what the name of it was. When I was in grade school, we read a story about a young girl collecting water for her family. She finds a small glass bead on the river bank, and picks it up. She then saves a woman from a crocodile attack. When she gets home, the first thing she does is tell her mother about the bead.

I remember my teacher telling me that, even though a crocodile attack sounds terrifying and fantastical to us, it was of little significance to the girl because it was a part of her daily life. The bead held more importance to the girl because it was something out of the ordinary.

It was that story, and that teacher’s explanation, that made me think about my life, and realize that my way of living was not the way other people lived. I think it was the beginning of my understanding that I was not the centre of the universe.

I wish I knew the name of the story and of the author who wrote it because I’d love to read it again.

Where/how do you find the most inspiration?
Most of my inspiration comes from my dreams. I have, for as long as I can remember, had very vivid dreams. I also experience sleep paralyses on a regular basis. This is when the mind is awake but the body is still asleep. It can create some pretty intense hallucinations, and is what many scientists believe is behind many ghostly encounters and astral projection.

I’ll either have a great that I remember in great detail from beginning to end, or I’ll have a dream that leaves me with an emotional response to a few fleeting images. Of course, when I wake, these dreams are at the forefront of my thoughts. I go over them, try to interpret them, expand upon them, and suddenly want to write them down in the form of a story.

Usually, a story will start with one dream, but then be expanded upon with numerous other dreams by the time it’s finished. It never ceases to amaze me how all these dreams, sometimes months apart, can join together to create one cohesive tale.

What does your family think of your writing? My husband is very supportive of my writing. He’s the first person I show a new story to when it’s finished, and he’s gotten used to it when I start talking about my characters as if they’re real people. I don’t think I’d have accomplished as much as I have if it weren’t for his encouragement.

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I have a very physically and emotionally demanding day job--I work at a veterinary hospital—so my biggest challenge is not only finding time to write, but finding energy to write. I try to write at least five days a week, but I only write for as long as I feel up to it. It’s very important for me not to try to force a schedule on my writing. Although it is work, I don’t want it to become a chore. Sometimes I can write for hours on end. Other times, I’ll write five lines and call it quits for the day. This means that I don’t get a story done as quickly as some other authors are able to, but it does mean that I keep my sanity.

Do you have any writing quirks or rituals?
Not really. I don’t want to become dependant on any one thing to write, so I don’t have any rituals associated with my writing. I’d say the only thing that is a must is music. I need it both as background noise to drown out neighbors and traffic, and also to help get me in the right frame of mind. If I’m writing a sad scene, I’ll put on a play list of sad songs to help set the mood. Sometimes, one song in particular is key to helping me finish a scene, so I’ll play it on repeat until the job is done. Thank goodness for headphones, or I’d drive my husband mad.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Writing is a solitary activity, by nature, and sometimes it’s hard to keep going without feedback from others. I want to make sure I’m doing a good job and that I’m on the right track, but I also can’t stand the idea of anyone reading it until it’s finished.

I’m also a bit of a perfectionist, and if I can’t get a scene right on the first try, it leads to much moaning and groaning about how much I suck. Never mind the fact that I know it’s a work in progress and that there’s a little thing called editing. I can’t go further with the story until I make each section as good as I can. This causes a lot of delays, and I end up obliterating all the deadlines I set for myself.

What are your current projects?
Currently, I’m editing Masquerade, the third novel in the Sevy series. The publisher, Mundania Press, hopes to have it ready for release in the near future. I’m also working on the first draft of a comedic fantasy called Red Rover.

What are you planning for future projects?
I currently have a list of fourteen story ideas that I’d like to someday write. I’ve made mini-synopses of each and ranked them based on how complete the ideas are and which ones I think will take priority. Once I’m finished with Red Rover, I’ll choose my next project based on this list. Any other plot bunnies that hop my way in the meantime will go onto the list and be ignored for the time being so that I concentrate on my story at a time.

Do you have any advice for other writers?
Write a lot. Most of what you write will be garbage, but some of it will be gold. Get used to reviewing your work with a critical, objective eye. Learn how to separate yourself emotionally from your work so that you can see its flaws and correct them instead of defend them.

Research the industry, and learn the steps involved in getting a story published. Be polite and professional in all your correspondences.

And most of all, keep your chin up. This is a rough job, from start to finish. You will get your feelings hurt and your ego will take a beating. Develop a tough skin and believe in yourself.

Where else can we find your work?
My novels, THIEF and SHADES OF WAR, are available at a variety of book retailers, including Amazon, Chapters, and Barnes and Nobles. Please visit my website www.sarah-janelehoux.com for links to purchase either the paper back or e-book versions. Also on my website, you’ll find links to a list of published short stories and flash fiction I’ve written that are free for you to read and hopefully enjoy. J